Arlene Wasylynchuk

Arlene Wasylynchuk

Edmonton, Alberta - June 23, 2012

Announcing the Winner of the $10,000 Eldon & Anne Foote

Edmonton Visual Arts Prize!

Many great works of visual art were produced and shown within the greater Edmonton region in 2011. Evidence of this was revealed in the quality of the 15 submissions to the 2012 $10,000 Eldon & Anne Foote Edmonton Visual Arts Prize.

In the Prize’s inaugural year, an independent jury composed of three art professionals from outside the Edmonton area (Robert Steven, Cindy Baker, and Barbara Amos), evaluated the submissions and short-listed five artists. The short-listed artists were: Paul Freeman, David Janzen, Amy Loewan, Alan Henderson, and Arlene Wasylynchuk. The winner was announced at 7:30pm on June 21st, 2012 during a reception at Visual Arts Alberta Gallery celebrating its summer exhibition, the opening of The Works Festival, and the summer solstice. Arlene Wasylynchuk, nominated by the Art Gallery of Alberta (AGA), was announced as the winner of the $10,000 prize. The AGA nominated her for her work, “Saltus Illuminati”, an installation that explores elements of the natural environment.

The Eldon & Anne Foote Edmonton Visual Arts Prize was established with the generous support of the Eldon & Anne Foote Fund at Edmonton Community Foundation and in partnership with the Edmonton Arts Council and Visual Arts Alberta Association. This Visual Arts Prize is a brand new award that celebrates the brilliance of visual artists in Edmonton. It will be awarded annually for five years. Artists can be nominated for the Prize by galleries that showed at least one work by the artist in the year of the prize. A Call for Entry for the 2013 Prize will be announced later this year.

Information on the shortlisted artists is available on the Visual Arts Alberta website (www.visualartsalberta.com). Click on "About Us" on the black band and scroll down to “Foote Edmonton Visual Arts Prize” for a pictorial look at the shortlisted artists. These five artists represent some of the great talent that lives within the capital region!